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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1987)
2 SANDY (O r» ) POST Thur* Moy 21, 1 W (S*c ') The Sandy Post Bri itorial & Opini Scott Newton, editor Karinda Hedlund, advertising representative Reinstate senior portion of funding Five budget committee meetings, a senior citizen protest in front of City Hall and a nearly two hour City Council meeting have been held to air all the the pros and cons for senior citizen and recreation programs. Now it is time for a compromise. The Sandy City Council will discuss the issue at its regular meeting June 1. , „ . Senior citizens, advocates for recreation J*™ others have been engaged in a guessing game. to figure out which vote might swing the balance on the City Council. The dilemma has no easy answers. A compromise offered by Mayor Deane Wesselink at the last budget committee meeting — a compromise that was at least good enough o garner a 94 majority vote — has resulted in a great deal of animosity toward the City Council from senior citizens. Projections about what would be left of the programs with the compromise budget has generated more controversy In our opinion, however, there are some things that a e black and white, not gray. They are: • Some City Council and budget committee members think too much money is being paid out in salaries. Specifically, they do not think the director of community services should make $35,964 and the assistant director, $21 ,/69. Both of those figures include fringe benefits. • When the budget committee voted on the compromise, members did not realize the extent of damage that would be done to programs for senior citizens. . The 2-cent per-gallon gasoline tax will not be approved by voters. Therefore, if we want streets repaired, the city needs to find money in the general fund. Contrary to some testimony at the City Council meeting Monday, there is plenty of work to do on the streets of Sandy. . The Sandy Senior Center is doing good work. Many of the outreach programs include identifying low-income senior citizens and helping them stay in their homes. These are human services that absolutely should not be eliminated. Everyone agrees on that point. In the way of a new compromise, we would recommend to members of the Sandy City Council that they eliminate the $17,794 recreation program, dedicating ^ e money to street repair. In addition, the City Council should put the $38,941 back into the Sandy Senior Center program. One suggestion that has not received a great deal of discus sion is a recommendation by the budget committee that an area-wide recreation levy be placed on the ballot. Such a recreation taxing district would allow residents outside the ci ty of Sandy to help pay for programs in which they participate. ' A recreation district doesn’t have much chance of gaining voter approval; its chances are probably equal to that of the gas tax. Taxpayers are telling school officials theydon t want to pay for outside, extra-curricular activities. The budget committee is sending a similar message to the City Council. We can argue about the value of recreational programs, but the sad fact is the public doesn’t want to pay for them. People who don’t believe that should consider the Sandy Aquatic Center, which has always been a financial burden for the San dy Elementay School District. We believe eliminating the recreation programs, but keep ing senior center activities, will come close to meeting the in tent of the budget committee’s work and at the same time restore valuable human services. Where was Post’s support? The May 15th issue of The Post lacked something an editorial stand on the cuts in social services propos ed by the city’s budget committee It was sorely needed before a critical vote by the council Monday The Post has taken a courageous stance on issues affecting our town, if not the larger area Twice it editorialized on behalf of the sheriff s levy. This makes me wonder why neither a word for or against the cuts was written on page two Was the editor undecided, or what’’ Also, The Post would have done a service to question the mayor abou* just which roads were in such dire need of repair and to print more figures from the budget Since the count il vote was Monday, this is clearly a case of too little, too late.” But this is also a vote for more coverage next time. Christine Bierman-Christiansen Sandy Grandma enjoyed a good funeral Then* was nothing my Grandma enjoyed more than a good funeral My paternal grandmother just lov ed sad occasions A funeral was more fun than a wedding in her book. It gave her a chance to look morose and shake her head over the woes of this world and then, after the ashes-to- ashes and dust-to-dust part, to sit down to a hearty potluck dinner with her friends and neighbors and visit Grandma never chatted or talked or gossiped She visited Mostly she liked to visit about who died and who was about to die and what killed them and whether she had it or not Naturally. her favorite holiday was Decoration Day She liked it better than Christmas, We « all it Memorial Day now We changed its name and changed its date We gave it a patriotic flavor by emphasizing it as a «lay to honor our war deail These days our kids most ly think of it as the first three-day holiday of summer But to Grandma, it was the day when we honored all the dead and she never missed making a pilgrimage to the cemetery On Decoration Day you decorated We trimmed the grass around our family graves and whisk-broomed their headstones and placed bright flowers against the cold, gray stone We would load up at home, stripp ing the garden of every available flower We rounded up the cheap wicker baskets that held the flowers They tipped over in the wind but they were a lot prettier than those in verted metal dunce caps they sell these days. We kids did the toting, grass clip pers and flowers wrapped in wet newspapers and Mason jars of water. Sometimes a rake and a broom Grandma would direct the work We trimmed and swept and arranged and clipped, and we goofed off by tracing the carved letters in the stones with our fingers With the flowers all in place we Sharon Nesbtt would walk around and compare our efforts with those of the other grave decorators, admiring the ms and the peonies and the flags whipping in the wind. Even though they weren't buried there we heard about Uncle Harce and Aunt Ella and Uncle Grover and all our long-gone kin When Grand ma's back was turned, we kids would punch each other and giggle about Uncle Grover who drooled and had a speech defect and called himself “ Gwover.” We always laughed about Grand ma’s funeral fixation But it seems to me that it taught us some of the lessons of death as well as life We learned early that in the ordinary course of events people we knew liv ed and died and needed to be remembered. I ’m too far away to tend my family cemetery this Decoration Day And even if 1 did, I probably wouldn't ad m it it because my friends might laugh and think of me macabre But when I see a cemetery full of flowers, all I see is proof that people are loved and remembered I hope someone puts a flower on Grandma's grave and runs a finger along the engraved letters of her name Local people contribute The success of the entire conven tion was due to the dedication and commitment of Kimberly Nelson, the convention chairwoman, and Rober ta Kennedy, the co n ve n tio n treasurer I .am Staab Immediate past state president OFBPW Boring (ins tux push is blackmail A couple of years backs, I went with the seniors to salem to watch the legislature in session A represen tative who shall remain nameless talked to us about procedure "B ills originate in the various com mittees to be drafted." he told us, "and then go down to the floor to be voted on.” Someone asked him if the head of one committee sometimes votes for a bill in exchange for a vote on another bill " I'm afraid it does happen," he ad mitted "Doesn't this smack of political bla ckm a il- I asked The ball got lob bed into another court Now when a city official says, If you vote for a 2-cent per-gallon gas tax, we ll restore the 50 percent fun ding we re planning to take away from the senior center,” does this smell of political blackmail, too'1 It is with a deep sense of pride that I extend this message of appreciation and gratitude to the following people Mayor Deane Wesselink welcomed close to 200 women at the Monarch Motor Hotel on Saturday , May 16, to the 66th Annual State Convention of It seems to me the city uses rumor the Oregon Eederation of Business to get people fearful and running like and Professional Women lemmings Rumor a few months bai k Representing the city of Sandy, the had OPEC cutting production and closest incorporated city east of gas lines at the pump and prices go M u ltn o m a h C ounty, M ayor ing up. W esselink expounded on the A few years back there was the resources of the area, the economic rumor of a Space Needle restaurant impact that women in the work fori e going in east of Sandy. Then there have on a community, and the impor was the rumor of Sandy becoming a tance of maintaining the economic Bavarian-type village. stability in the area About two months back there was a Boy Scout Troop 662, Columbia rumor of the city buying the old Pacific Council, presented the colors Thriftway building, or building a new and led the Pledge of Allegiance City Hall or building a new senior This opening ceremony by the Sandy center on lxingensand Road It went Scout Troop expressed the loyalty and commitment that we share as from riches to rags in just two mon citizens of the United States and sup ths The lemmings ran again. porters of the free enterprise system Now it was no rumor when a Sandy My deepest gratitude goes to the City Councilor told me the city local organization, Sandy BPW. for employees had taken a pay raise in its endorsement and support of me January during my term as president of the Don't let a "yes" vote for a gas tax Oregon Federation for the 1986-87 be politically blackmailed out of you year. Dorothie Bernard I could not have achieved this posi Sandy tion without their encouragement Senior Center helped newcomer Where to write I came to Sandy last August from New York, a complete stranger ex cept for my son, who lives just out side Sandy. Soon after I arrived, I joined the Sandy Senior Center There I found friendship and assistance in finding out the things a newcomer needs to know The most important of all was fin ding the little apartment on Hood Street, which I love dearly. Eating meals alone becomes a lonely and tiresome procedure, but to eat m the company of friends is most pleasant Food takes on a different aspect when eaten in genial com pany. I refer to the noon lunches. You people at City Hall think twice before cutting the allotment to the Sandy Senior Center There is no way to stop the aging process Anna M Eherhard Sandy State R e p re s e n ta tiv e Bob Shiprack. D-Dist. 23. 22610 Forest Park Rd., Beavercreek, Ore., 97004 631-3817. Or: State Capitol, Room H288, Salem , O re ., 97310. 1-800-332-2313. State Senator Bob Kintigh. D-Dist 14 , 38865 E Cedar Flat Road. Spr ingfield, 97478 746-1842 Or: State Capitol, Room S310. Salem. Ore., 97310 1-800-327-7389. Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Oregon, 711 Hart Building, Washington. D C , 20510 . 202-224-3753. Portland office phone 221-3386. Sen. Hob Packwood. R-Oregon. '259 Russell Building, Washington, D C.. 20510 202-224-5244 Portland office phone 221-3370 Rep. Denny Smith. R-5th Dist . 1213 l-ongworth Building, Washington, I) C 20515 202-225-5711. Salem office phone «toll freei 1-800-452-7889 ( )r£anization snysthunks The Sandy Area Block Home Association would like to express ap preciation to the following agencies and businesses Your contribution of time, expertise and/or merchandise helped us present a first-rate Crime Prevention/Personal Safety Fair Our thanks to: The Sandy police department, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Sandy Fire District, East Clackamas County EMS Association, Mount Hood Fire Prevention Association, Mount Hood Medical Center alcohol and drug treatment services, Sandy VFW Post 4273 and Auxiliary , Block Home committee members, Alpine Ambulance Service, Consumer Pro ducts Safety Commission, Bowman s Thriftway, Sandy Sentry, Sandy Safeway, Radio Shack, Sprouse Reitz, McDonald's Restaurant, Dou ble D I-ocksmithing, Sandy IxK-k and Safe. Hi School Pharmacy, The Flower Garden. The Shirt Shop. San dy Union High School, the Sandy Post, the Sandy Profile and The Oregonian Thanks you, again! Chris Lewallen director Suzi Blaisdell co-director Sandy Block Home Asso Legislative access in Oregon 1-800-327-7389. One may call this number and ask to be connected to any state legislator's office Oregon legislative status number 1-800-332-2313. One may call this number to learn the status of bills pending in the Oregon legislature Sandy Post letter policy letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced and signed An address and telephone number should also be provided, although on ly the name of the letter writer and the city or area he is from will be published Letter writers may also wish to in clude a title or office held if it is ap propriate considering the subject matter of the letter The news deadline of noon Tuesday is also the deadline for letters to the editor letters should be accurate, free of libelous remarks and in good taste This newspaper attempts to publish all letters it receive it receives from area residents. We reserve the right to edit letters to conform to style guidelines or for length la’tters should be 300 words long b y A dilin K n ift B< »bents
